A/N: Okay, so this is actually the last chapter that I completed of this story before I let it die in my drafts. But since I enjoyed rereading it and reading you guys' reviews, I'm probably gonna add a few more chapters.

And to the guest asking about if I had other teenage/young Normero stories, you're in luck! One of the other stories I started writing a while ago but never finished is a teen/young adult Normero story. Be on the lookout for that. I hope you'll like it.

I was iffy about this chapter so that's why I stopped writing this story lol. I wasn't satisfied with it, but I would love to hear feedback. Enjoy!

It was 12:30 PM and Alex was watching the clock on the wall in front of him like a hawk. He was supposed to be having lunch with Norma at this time. He started to wonder if she had changed her mind. It wasn't as if it was a lunch date, but maybe she felt weird about going to lunch with a man she hardly knew, although they had been getting to know one another more as time passed.

Alex grabbed his keys and exited the Sheriff's station. Just as he was making his way to his parked patrol vehicle in the parking lot, he heard a sweet voice call out his name. He turned swiftly and saw the face the voice belonged to.

"Sorry I was running a little late! I'm glad I caught you just in time," she said, out of breath. She wore a light blue vintage dress with pink floral print along with a thin pink cardigan. Alex grinned a little at her and let out a sigh of relief. He was glad she had shown up.

"Don't worry about it. How are you?" He asked, hands sliding into his pants pockets as he looked her over.

"Good. Look what I have," she smiled and pointed to the dish she held in one hand.

Alex chuckled and nodded his head. "Can't wait to try it. You still want to go to lunch?"

"Yeah, are we walking or driving?"

"We can take my patrol car. It's right over here," Alex said and walked to his vehicle with Norma beside him. He knew he wasn't allowed to have civilians in his work vehicle but he decided to ignore the rules today. He unlocked the door and waited for her to get into the passenger side before he got in.

They went to the small town diner a few blocks from the station and settled into a table. They only ordered something to drink while Norma uncovered the pan.

"Wow, this looks really good," he commented. Norma giggled and cut a large piece of the cake and sat it on the plate the waitress had brought by for them per request. She was grateful the diner didn't mind her bringing in outside food.

She bit her lip and smiled as she waited for him to take his first bite. Alex chewed the piece of dessert slowly before swallowing.

"This is amazing. The best one I've ever had," he complimented.

"Oh, stop. I'm sure you've had better."

"No really," Alex shook his head. "This is amazing. I've never had a double fudge chocolate cake this good before."

Norma blushed and sat up straighter. "Well, thank you."

Alex finished his piece and sat back in his seat, satisfied. He noticed her watching him so he returned her gaze. He felt the fluttering inside his belly again and had to look away from her. He wondered if she knew what she was doing to him, how she was making him feel inside.

"So, Dylan's going to the program after school right?"

"Mhm, yes," she said quickly. "He said it was boring but I think he's gonna' get used to it. I hope he does."

"He will. What about your other son? Norman?"

"What about him?"

"How is he? Are he and Dylan the same or is it different?"

Norma really liked the fact how interested Alex was with her and her kids. And she loved looking at his beautiful face. He was absolutely gorgeous.

"Oh, yeah Norman is a mommy's boy. He sticks to my side as much as he can but him and Dylan do have a bond I suppose. Sometimes Norman wants to do what his big brother does."

Alex chuckled and continued to listen to Norma talk about her boys. He could tell she was a wonderful mother, and she reminded him of his own mom, whom he lost three years ago. Her death was extremely hard on him, but he was making it one day at a time.

Once Alex's lunch break was over, he and Norma went back to his patrol car and drove back to the station. He offered to walk her over to her car in the parking lot and she accepted.

"So I guess I'll just be going on home then," she said while they were standing at her car door. She handed him the cake pan and smiled. "Feel free to share it with your coworkers in there."

"What this? Oh no, they don't deserve something this good," he joked.

Norma giggled and swayed unintentionally, almost in a flirty like manner. Alex didn't want her to leave. He wished she could keep him company for the rest of the day. But then he remembered, she had a husband to go home to.

"So uh, I guess I'll see you around," he stated.

"Yeah. See you around," and with that, Norma turned on the heels of her feet and opened her car door to get inside. Alex waved her off and watched her drive out the lot.

*deviatedrift*

It had been a few days, and Alex hadn't seen Norma. He was worried about her. He wanted to text her to see how she was doing, but didn't think it was a smart idea. Maybe her husband had gotten into her phone and seen their texts. He thought they were innocent, but Alex figured a man like her husband wouldn't take too kindly to his wife texting another man about baking him a cake.

Alex worked the evening shift tonight, so he was waiting to clock out at 10 PM. When it was the end of his shift, he grabbed his favorite leather jacket and clocked out. That's when Deputy Young and Deputy Gomez stopped him.

"You coming out tonight Romero?"

"To where?"

"The Bar," Gomez confirmed as she put on her jacket to leave.

"Uh, sure I guess. Meet you guys there," Alex nodded.

Although Alex was friendly with his coworkers, he didn't have many friends in White Pine Bay, despite growing up here. His father was to thank for that. Everyone's parents always told them to stay away from the Romeros when he was only in grade school. When he became a deputy, he worked hard to prove to everyone he was nothing like his father. He hoped the people of the town believed that so he would be elected Sheriff this November.

Alex drove to The Bar and went ahead inside. He saw two other deputies from the station and went towards them. They both greeted him and introduced him to their acquaintances that were there as well. Soon enough, Young and Gomez arrived and it was just a loud section in the place filled with their group.

Alex played some pool and drank some beer, making sure he didn't drink too much since he would be his own way home tonight, and probably for one of the other deputies too.

"You trying to miss the hole?" A voice said from behind him.

He quickly straightened up and turned to see Norma with a drink in her hand. She was wearing a dark, burgundy trench coat and some black high heels boots.

Beautiful

"Hey," Alex smiled, not bothering to hide it. He was happy to see her.

"Hi. You here with friends this time?" Norma teased.

Alex looked around to see the deputies goofing off. "Oh, just some coworkers from the station. You here with anyone?" He asked, hoping she wasn't.

"Just me," she sighed. "Needed to wind down. Dylan didn't want to go to the program after school today and I had a hard time with the tantrum Norman was giving me."

Alex studied her, seeing the stress swarming over her. He felt bad for the young mother.

"Hmm, maybe I can pick Dylan up after school and take him there from now on. Sometimes, a young boy like him needs a male authority figure in order to listen."

Alex closed his eyes as he realized what he said. "No disrespect to your husband. I didn't mean to say that. I just mean, as a police officer, maybe he'd listen better to me? Or- I don't know," he mumbled.

Norma continued to stare at him with her intimidating blue eyes. She finally smiled again, much to Alex's relief.

"Yeah, that'd be good for him. Uh, Sam is not really involved in Dylan's life," she confessed. Alex nodded as he listened to her speak. She hardly ever talked about her husband. Alex asked her if she wanted to sit down at the bar with him and she agreed.

He looked her over as she sat down, her legs on full display. Her hair was curled and she wore pink lipstick. To add, she smelled amazing.

"So how long have you been married to him?" Alex questioned once they got settled into their seats.

"Six years. It was good for the first two years, but when I got pregnant with Norman... he changed."

"How?" Alex squinted.

"Um, he just... I think he was angry with me because I didn't take my birth control like I was supposed to. Sam didn't want kids. It was hard for him to accept Dylan when Sam first met me, being that Dylan isn't his in the first place, but when he found out we were having a baby, he just distanced himself," Norma explained. She had never told anyone of her life before, but something about Alex made her want to share more with him.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Alex offered. She didn't mention how he was beating her, but it could be implied. He looked her over and saw the bruise around her neck that she tried to cover with a thin scarf. Maybe that was why she hadn't contacted him the past few days. She was dealing with her shitty husband's rage.

Alex reached out and moved the scarf a bit, causing Norma to gasp. He watched her face.

"What happened here?" He asked as he looked at the mark.

"It's nothing," she shrugged his hand away and recovered her neck more securely with the scarf. Her eyes fell in shame as she became embarrassed. She didn't want Alex to see her bruises.

"Norma," Alex scooted himself closer to her, causing her to glance into his eyes. "You know I'm a cop right? If there's anything he's doing to you-"

"It's nothing." She repeated, more firmness in her voice now. Alex wanted to ask her why she was lying, but decided not to. He's dealt with a fair amount of domestic abuse cases and knows how they can go. It takes a lot for the victim to actually speak out against their abuser.

"Enough about that. How have you been?" Norma asked.

Her mood changed suddenly which kind of scared him. She was so good at pretending everything was fine.

"Um, good. I'm- I'm glad to see you actually," he replied.

She smiled and bit her lip. God, Alex loved when she did that. He couldn't help himself. Something about this woman was so mesmerizing.

"Oh yeah?" He could sense the flirt in her voice and smiled at her, nodding his confirmation.

"Glad to see you too," she told him.

"I didn't know whether or not I could text you."

"You could have. I've been meaning to text you but it was just a lot going on the past few days."

"Oh, well I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Thank you though Alex," she placed her left hand on his leg as Alex was taking a sip of his beer. When he looked down at her hand, he noticed her ring was gone. He didn't ask why she removed it, he just went along with whatever game they were playing.

Alex offered to buy her another drink which she happily accepted. They talked for a long time until it was 1 AM. The other deputies had already left, sober enough to get home on their own. Norma laughed and laughed with Alex about the most random things. She also learned a lot about him tonight. He told her about his mother he lost three years ago. He told her about how his father used to be Sheriff and how he was running for Sheriff in November. He even gave her slight information about his ex wife.

"So, she was the sister of one of your marine buddies?"

"That's right," Alex nodded before taking a sip of the beer he had.

Norma was very tipsy, as she kept losing her balance in her seat and giggling like no tomorrow. Alex had to occasionally push her back in her seat, and every time his hand touched her body, his whole face went warm.

"What happened?"

"Uh," Alex started with a chuckle. "I just realized I made a terrible mistake. I hardly even knew her."

"Aww," Norma granted. She suddenly let out a yawn and Alex glanced at the watch on his wrist. It was 1:15 AM now.

"Oh, it's pretty late."

Norma looked at her own wrist watch and shrugged. "I guess we lost track of time."

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Will your husband... will he-"

Norma shook her head, knowing that he was trying to ask if Sam would hurt her if he knew where she was this time of night. "He's not awake. He's probably passed out drunk on our living room floor. He never knows I go out at night."

Alex wanted to shake his head at the thought of her being married to some guy like Sam. If Norma was his, he'd make sure she'd never have to sleep alone. Make sure that she was loved and that she knew she was loved.

"Oh Okay. Well um, I guess we should get going."

Norma and Alex exited the bar and stood outside of the doorway.

"Tonight was fun. I'm really glad I bumped into you here," Norma smiled. She crossed her arms across her chest and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Yeah, me too."

Norma tried her damnedest not to give into her temptations, but Alex looked so amazingly handsome right now. She knew she was attracted to him, that was no secret. The way she flirted and batted her lashes at him was proof. She could also tell he liked her too. He was so sweet and charming once she started to get to know him.

"Where'd you park?"

"Right over there. The Ford Expedition," Alex pointed into the dark parking lot to where his personal black SUV was parked. Norma started walking to where his car was and Alex followed. He was confused as to what her purpose was, but didn't ask questions yet.

When they got closer to the car, he unlocked the doors using his keys and she hopped into his passenger side. He got inside afterwards and looked over at her.

"Sorry, did you need a ride?" He asked and put his keys in the ignition about to crank the car up but Norma placed her hand on his.

He looked up to catch her baby blue eyes, the moonlight casting in them perfectly. Alex's heart beat sped up as they mirrored one another. She slowly ran her hand up his arm and into his dark patch of hair on the nape of his neck.

"Did I ever tell you how handsome I think you are?"

Alex shook his head no, completely under her spell. She was like an enchantress of some sort. When she leaned towards him, the kiss she gave was soft, yet mind jumbling. He hadn't completely registered that she actually kissed him until she did it again, this time breathing out against his lips. The sharp intake of breath she let in caused him to finally kiss her back.

It was wrong, yet it felt so right. Yes, Alex knew she was married and that he should not be kissing her in the middle of the night inside of his car in an empty parking lot, but that didn't stop him this time. If she wanted to kiss him, he would let her.

Alex hands slithered their way behind her neck to pull her in for a deeper, more intimate kiss. The action caused Norma to moan lightly. She absentmindedly started to remove her scarf and reached for the tie of her coat so she could pull it off. Once it fell down her shoulders, Alex pulled away from her lips to look down at her. He could see two perfectly cupped breast showcased in the deep v-neck dress she wore.

He watched as she slipped her shoulders and arms out of the dress, leaving her upper body half naked, her bra the only thing covering her nakedness.

"Shit," Alex whispered. Norma leaned in to kiss him again and groped him through his jeans. She practically climbed into his lap at this point and their clumsy movements caused the horn of the car to honk.

She giggled and looked at him. "Don't blow our cover Deputy."

Alex hissed as Norma captured his lips again. He had longed for her ever since he met her if he was being honest. This moment though, was something he thought would never happen. As her hands reached for his buckle and zipper to his jeans, his mind started giving him red flags.

She was drunk, not in her right and sober mind right now. He couldn't allow himself to enjoy her after knowing that.

"Norma stop," Alex grabbed her wrist as gently as he could. Her face fell as she looked into his eyes. "It's late, do you want me to drop you off at home?"

"Wh-what?"

"I can drop you off and have your car dropped off to you in the morning before your kids go to school."

Norma couldn't believe this. He was denying her advances again?

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She yelled, causing Alex to look at her with bewilderment.

"You're drunk," he stated in a matter of fact manner.

"I'm not drunk!"

"Well then Norma, you're married. I can't..."

"Really? Did you think about that when your tongue was down my throat!?" She opened the car door forcefully and slammed it shut once she was out.

She hated being married to Sam. She wished she never was. For years, she's been trying to figure out how to get away from him. Meeting Alex had been life changing for her. Never in her life has she experienced the true care of a man. She was more so mad at herself that she took vows with Sam and taking it out on Alex at the moment.

Of course Alex followed after her. She couldn't even get the right key out so that she could unlock her car door. Shit, I am drunk. She sighed and started bawling in tears. Alex grabbed her from behind and turned her around. He hugged her and let her cry into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Norma. I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's not you... I just- I hate my life..." Her words caused his heart to break. She didn't deserve to feel that way, no one did.

"My husband is a piece of shit. My oldest son hates me. I don't know how to handle Norman right. I've been a complete mess my entire life."

Alex held her tighter as she continued talking. He never wanted to let her go. He wished she didn't have to go back home to that piece of shit husband of hers either. He wished he could help her with her kids and make her feel like the treasure she was.

"Norma listen to me. You're an amazing mother, I could see that clearly, and anyone else would be able to see that. I'm sorry your husband treats you the way he does. You don't deserve that. It's not your fault. You can't blame yourself for his actions," he grabbed her face and made her look into his eyes.

"You're so much more than what you think you are Norma."

The way she looked at him, it made his heart pound. Even with her tears, she was beautiful.

Once she calmed down enough, Alex escorted her back to his SUV and offered to drive her home. He asked for her address, but she declined, saying she didn't want to run into Dylan and letting him see her this drunk. He usually wakes up in the middle of the night.

So, Alex took her to his home. He carried her up the stairs to his bedroom and placed her in his bed. He could've easily put her in one of his guest rooms, but he didn't want to. He removed her boots from her feet and helped her underneath his sheets.

When he thought she was comfortable enough, he turned off the lights and went to go sleep downstairs on the couch, just in case she needed something, she'd be able to find him quickly.

*deviatedrift*

It was 5:30 AM when Alex heard movement and saw the light on in his kitchen. He woke up and saw Norma pacing around in his kitchen drinking a glass of water. Alex moved to the kitchen and looked at her. Norma caught Alex's eyes and blushed. She ran her hand through her hair as the events of last night came into her mind. She was once again, embarrassed.

"Um, good morning," she chuckled nervously. "Thanks for last night, or... earlier this morning I should say. I should get home, my kids will be up in a few hours and I have to be there before Sam gets up for work."

"What time does your boys have to be at school?"

"8 AM, but I usually get up by 7 to make them breakfast," Norma said.

"And Sam?"

"He has to be at work at 7:30 so I should really get going. Can you drop me off at the bar so I can get my car?"

"Okay..." Alex said softly as he watched her move out of the kitchen. She grabbed all her belongings and headed for the door. He drove her back to the bar they left earlier this morning and walked her to her car.

"You sure you're okay to drive? Do you have a hangover or anything?"

"Oh, I'm fine. This isn't my first time having to do this..." she said while she thought about the time she had to sneak back home in the early hours of the morning after having a little too many at a bar.

"Well, can you come back to my house later? I want to talk..." Alex asked. Norma knew he wouldn't be one to let this so easily go.

She nodded, "Yeah. I'll come back after I drop Norman and Dylan off at school."

"Alright. See you then."